Manes death: Improbable but actual

MANGALORE: The odds of being hit by a bullet ricochet may probably be one in a  billion, but M Mane of Anti Naxal Force (ANF) could still be the unlucky lone victim.The members of Internal Security Division (ISD), led by Superintendent of Police Shiva Kumar, were staring at information that more or less indicated death of Mane more likely bullet ricocheting from a self loading rifle (SLR) at end of the second day.The team believes that six men leading the combing operation had panicked on hearing sounds of footsteps in Manjila and had opened fire. Given the muzzle velocity of SLR, the bullet might have ricocheted from the bark of a tree to fell Mane taking cover behind a tree.“Though the odds of people being killed by a bullet ricochet are rare, such incidents have taken place,” sources in ANF told Express. The team comprising three SPs, 4 DySPs and 12 SIs also have been collecting information from villagers about sighting naxalites in recent times.The team also had information to believe that even if there was an encounter with naxalites, none of the naxalites, including a woman, had been hurt in the firing. ANF Superintendent of Police Vasudev Moorthy when contacted said the circumstances that led to death of Mane is still being probed.